As we approach World Food Day, we have a unique opportunity to reflect on 50 years of transformative ministry through ELCA World Hunger. On Tuesday, October 15, at5pm PST/MDT, 6pm MST, join us for a special Zoom webinar celebrating this milestone and our shared commitment to ending hunger for good.

Hosted by the Rev. Amy Current, bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, and ELCA Vice President Imran Siddiqui, this event will highlight inspiring stories from ELCA World Hunger partners. You’ll hear firsthand from organizations like Educación Popular en Salud (EPES) in Chile and Tapestry Farms in the U.S. Midwest, who have been working to combat hunger and uplift communities through sustainable farming and health education.

For five decades, ELCA World Hunger has embodied our collective hope in God’s promise of a just world where all are fed. Since its inception in 1974, over $650 million has been raised by Lutherans nationwide to support hunger relief efforts both locally and globally. While much has been achieved, current global challenges such as rising costs, climate change, and ongoing conflicts remind us of the crucial work that still lies ahead.

Register today to join the celebration and recommit to this vital mission. Whether you can attend live or not, a recording will be available after the event for all registrants. Take part in this critical moment and learn how you can continue to make a difference. Visit ELCA.org/WH50 to explore resources for your congregation and find ways to engage in this life-giving work.

As we look forward to the next 50 years, let us remember the words of 1 John 3:18: “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” Together, we can be part of the movement to end hunger and create lasting change.

Key Event Information:

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 15

• Time:5pm PST/MDT, 6pm MST

• Location: Zoom Webinar

• Registration: Register here to receive reminders, resources, and the event recording.

Let’s stand united in our faith and commitment to feed the world.

View key talking points in this PDF or below:

When: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Central time

Where: Zoom webinar

Registration: Register here to receive reminders, event information, World Food Day resources and theevent recording.

Hosts: The Rev. Amy Current, bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, and Imran Siddiqui, vice president ofthe ELCA

Website: ELCA.org/WH50 

Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to hear firsthand stories from ELCA World Hunger partners — includingEducación Popular en Salud (EPES), a community health organization in Chile founded over 40 years ago, and more recent starts such as Tapestry Farms, a Midwestern urban farm system in the Quad Cities of Iowa andIllinois. You’ll hear about their work with ELCA World Hunger and their impact on these communities — all as wecelebrate 50 years of ministry and recommit to our shared work toward a just world where all are fed.

Will the event be recorded?

A recording will be made available one week following the live World Food Day event. Register here to ensurethat you receive a link to the recording.

What is World Food Day?

World Food Day takes place every year on Oct. 16. It is an official date on the United Nations calendar to raise worldwide awareness of hunger and promote action for the future of food, people and the planet. Collective action across 150 countries worldwide, in up to 50 languages, makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days on the UN calendar. Join ELCA World Hunger on Oct. 15 to start this important time of awareness-raising andto end hunger for good. Learn more about World Food Day here.

ELCA World Hunger 50th Anniversary

Fifty years ago, Lutherans in the United States launched the World Hunger appeals to stand with their neighbors experiencing hunger. Now a core ministry of the church, ELCA World Hunger embodies our hope in God’s promise and our faith that God is revealed in the neighbors we accompany together. 

Since 1974, hundreds of thousands of generous people from across this church have contributed more than $650 million to support ELCA World Hunger. Countless more have prayed for our shared mission, led theircongregations in special fundraising efforts, volunteered at local hunger ministries, or advocated to change policies and systems that perpetuate injustice. Together we have made great strides against hunger and poverty, providingfood to meet immediate needs while equipping communities to foster long-term change through access toeducation and quality health care, sustainable solutions in agriculture, advocacy for just laws that make ending hunger possible, and more.

While we reflect on how far we’ve come, we know how far we have to go. Fifty years after ELCA World Hunger was founded, we find ourselves at another critical moment in history. Amid rising costs, global conflict, the lingeringimpact of COVID-19 and the intensifying effects of climate change, the world once again faces a startling rise inhunger that is undoing decades of progress.

This year we have an opportunity to commemorate the great strides we’ve made against hunger and poverty evenas we commit to increase our support of programs around the world. Join us and be part of the story of our next 50 years together — boldly and hopefully pursuing God’s promise of a just world where all are fed.

How can people get involved in World Food Day and the ELCA World Hunger 50th anniversary?

•       Learn more about the 50th anniversary at ELCA.org/WH50.

•      Use special ELCA World Hunger 50th anniversary resources in your congregation or for ideas on howto take action in your community. Resources include an action guide for congregations, a brochure, a poster, a PowerPoint slide, offering envelopes and more!

•      Share details about the World Food Day event from congregation or synod social media accounts, using the World Food Day promotional tool kit.

•      Support ELCA World Hunger with a gift. Your generosity will help fund the next 50 years of our church’s work to end hunger and poverty. You can give online, by mail or by phone.

Give online: Make a gift online here.

Give by mail

Make checks payable to “ELCA World Hunger” and mail to: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

Give by phone

800-638-3522

Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central time 

Connect with your local ELCA World Hunger leader to stay involved. Email hunger@elca.org for more ideas on how to stay active in your community and the ELCA World Hungernetwork.

Read impact stories from ELCA World Hunger

• Read the most recent issue of “Lifelines” here. It includes a 2023 year-in-review feature showing how your gifts to ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response have been at work in the world.

• Find stories about ELCA World Hunger and other ELCA ministries on the Living Lutheran website. Check out this recent story, “Fueling Sustainable Futures in Malawi.”

• Explore the new ELCA Good Gifts catalog, which has several new gifts benefiting the work of ELCA World Hunger. Consider giving ELCA Good Gifts to friends and family this holiday season or raising money as a congregation for a larger gift that benefits a whole community.

• Order or download all ELCA World Hunger Resources here.